


It's In The Thought

by Scribbleness



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28285011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribbleness/pseuds/Scribbleness
Summary: He was an old flame she never forgot and she was from a past who showed him what was so important about giving presents.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Rufus Shinra
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	It's In The Thought

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to all RufTis, multi-shippers, and to the whole FF7 fandom! This one was based from a fanart by the wonderful and talented VOA! (https://twitter.com/Voaleine/status/1317892359732908033?s=20). And especially thank you to the wonderful Angelwingsnaya for beta-reading and basically improving this fic! I hope you guys will enjoy this!

He couldn’t understand it. The whole concept of allowing oneself to be swallowed by the crowd of strangers, elbow-to-elbow, standing in repetitive lines just to buy cheap tokens for the sake of the holiday spirit. Yet there he was, gathering packs of chocolate biscuits in baskets from a store he regarded as upscale enough for executives and business associates, with a personal shopper he randomly picked from his office carrying all of it.

“Sir, we are thirty packs short,” he said, a little uneasily.

Rufus huffed irately and eyed him blankly. That froze the guy enough.

“W-will ask the shop’s crew if they have more,” the personal shopper stammered and sprinted to the customer service counter to ask for help— any help perhaps to spare himself from his boss’ dwindling patience. Rufus knew it wasn’t the poor sap’s fault, and his soreness was rather more directed at the store for presenting him with unnecessary stress. It was not the store’s fault either. 

This was beneath him. Way beneath him. But he had enough of his staff doing the Christmas shopping for him when they often splurged too much on gifts without his direct approval or supervision. Hell, they reminded him of kids cheerily grabbing random things that fancied them and then throwing away gil that wasn’t theirs. Last year, the assigned shopper bought one hundred champagne bottles of the most expensive brand. Two years ago, it was smartphones. Money was not the issue, it never was. The real problem was when the recipients began pestering him with pointless proposals meant to impress and endless calls of ass-kissing. He relished them at first, but they had grown too annoying (and a little unsettling in some cases) and were not even worth the gifts. The funniest thing, though not at all amusing, was that they always gave him the same gifts every year— fruits, cheap wine, baskets of groceries he did not know what to do with, shirts that barely fit him… Most of them went to charities while the inedible ones were left to collect dust somewhere deep and dark in his mansion. Not that he needed any of it, that was for certain. 

So this year, he decided to shop for the annual Christmas gifts himself. He picked one, a much cheaper one, and asked his personal shopper to simply multiply it by a hundred. If he hears a word of complaint about the sudden downgrade from the picky leeches, then he had a spiel prepared.

“I personally chose those, and my thought is not cheap.”

Ha. How lucky they were to even get something from him.

The crowd in the store swelled too thickly for his own liking as the day edged to night, so Rufus approached his help and told him quickly that he was stepping out. 

Shoppers carrying bundles of paper bags buzzed by him mindlessly without sparing anyone or anything a glance, apparently so absorbed with their own Christmas rush as he was and undoubtedly eager to be done with it the soonest. He had once thought of having the whole mall closed for himself but brushed the idea off the moment he realized how much revenue it was going to cost him at this time of the year. Not exactly the wisest choice. Then again, neither was doing the gift shopping so close to Christmas day.

He was on his way to a coffee shop when he spotted her about to walk into a store meant for sports gear and carrying bundles of gift bags that had bundled too thickly in her hands. The struggle was visible when she momentarily sat on one of the common chairs in the middle of the hall and leaned down to arrange the bags on the floor, her hair falling over and veiling most of herself. He rounded on his heels and made his way to her instead and only then was he able to take a good look at her— red silk halter top, black slacks, and short-heeled boots, cluing him in that she had just gone from work. Maybe it was also because of that, he thought, why she seemed to have lost what little energy she still had and left nothing for her presence of mind when he was standing right beside her for a minute and she still had not noticed.

He conjured a smirk as an introduction to his greeting. “Not really the best time to do this kind of shopping.”

She turned her head up to him and her jaw quickly loosened. She recomposed herself with a smile, genuine albeit weak. “Hey!”

“How have you been, Tifa?”

“Great,” she said, her tone forced. She must have realized how unconvincing it sounded that she immediately recouped with “No, really. I’m doing good.”

Rufus quirked an eyebrow and nodded once. “Do you mind indulging me how on the Planet will you bring all those home?”

Tifa’s eyes drifted to her bags then back to him. “By train, I suppose. The train station isn’t that far.”

“I could give you a lift.” He tipped his head towards her effects. “And have those brought to my car right now.”

Tifa’s eyes widened for a moment before she shook her head. “No need for that. I’m not finished yet anyway.”

“All the more we should take those from your hands. You don’t need to subject yourself through any more of this trouble when I can make your day easier for you.”

Tifa blinked, seemingly giving it a thought. “Then I’ll take them back from your car aft—”

Rufus shook his head and cut her. “I’ll take you home.”

Her lips pressed in a thin line as she took a deep breath. “Why are you doing this?”

Rufus smirked once more. “It’s the least I could do after everything.”

Tifa tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I am aware how much I lacked during those days that we had.”

“You mean after Yuffie set us up?”

“Precisely.”

“When you stopped being nice and started sending me one-word messages?”

Rufus cleared his throat and pursed his lips, a silent admission to his guilt.

“And when you didn’t show up for our fourth date?”

“Yes.”

“And when you—”

“I know there have been several shortcomings on my part,” he cut her.

Tifa huffed out a laugh. She was not being bitter or snarky about it, which he appreciated, yet he knew he deserved worse than her playful jabs and scoldings. “You basically ghosted me, you know that?”

“It was not my intention, trust me.”

She narrowed her eyes, doubtful. “Really?”

Rufus sighed and glanced around the area. People were still busy hopping from one merchant to another, adding up to the long lines and carrying even more bags on their way out. The pandemonium was annoying despite the strong indication of good business on his part. He returned to Tifa. “Are you still up for that dinner I owe you?”

Tifa considered for a moment then dipped her chin. “Are you?”

Rufus smirked back. “Let’s find out.”

* * *

They handed all of Tifa’s purchases to Rufus’ shopper with a special instruction to load them all immediately into his car before they went on their way to look for a place to eat.

“I never realized how hungry I actually am,” Tifa admitted while they squeezed against the flow of the crowd and raised her voice a little higher for him to hear.

“The upper floors might have something more promising for us,” Rufus said. 

“Come here often?”

“Just extremely familiar. I own this place.”

The silence that followed made Rufus look over his shoulder to check on her. As he had suspected, she stood frozen a few strides away from him, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. She started walking again when another woman brushed past her from behind, the push spurring her back to the simple reality that she was blocking the way. She began walking towards him again.

“You own this mall?” she asked markedly when she caught up to his side. 

He maintained a considerable pace for her. “I do.”

“I only knew about the electric company, but—”

“It was only an inheritance from my father,” he said while he led her to an escalator. “This one I started myself.”

The crowd was thinner when they reached the upper floor, but that did not save them from fully-seated restaurants. Each had a staff apologizing for not being able to accommodate them every time they tried to get a table, the repetitiveness had made them surrender to the rejection and the fact that there might not be a decent place for them to have dinner. Definitely the most wonderful time of the year.

“You know, I think I could go for a fast food burger right now,” Tifa suggested. The thought of the thick patties, tasty sauce, and ice cold soda was already making her salivate and gulp.

The notion was tempting, even for Rufus, who did not imagine his second chance to resemble sitting in a greasy fast food chain with dull lights and a set of crew who were too tired to even pretend anymore. 

Yet there they were, with their trays of burgers, fries, sundaes, and sodas, spending dinnertime doing exactly that. The only compensation for all of it was Tifa’s satisfied smile when she eyed her meal eagerly. She sighed heartily when she took her first bite of her burger.

Rufus chuckled. “Hungry, are we?”

“Famished,” she replied through a mouthful of her dinner.

He slowly unwrapped his burger and held it up to examine its contents before eating. 

“Do you own this, too?” Tifa asked.

“A business partner does,” he replied and winced at the blandness of his dish. “Food is not a practical prospect for me. I never delved into the industry.”

Tifa shrugged. “Would be a nice thing to explore.”

“I agree. It’s quite a big trade.”

“It is.” Tifa picked a french fry from the greaseproof pouch. “So, what are you here for?”

“Same as everyone else. Including yourself.”

Tifa’s eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you supposed to be free from this hassle?”

“I used to be,” Rufus replied and sipped from his cup. “And then my staff started becoming impractical about the gifts, so I decided to do it myself and set an example of what I think those recipients deserve.”

“Oh.” Tifa gulped down some of her soda then puckered her lips together. “What do you think they deserve?”

“Just enough to give them something from the company.”

“The company meaning you?”

“You can say that.”

“What did you get them?”

“Chocolate biscuits.”

Tifa giggled. “Oh. That could work nicely, too.”

Rufus smirked. Already, she had turned their misfortune into something lighter and more enjoyable. “Do you enjoy chocolate biscuits?”

She nodded. “Oh, I do. Everyone does, I think.”

“Would you like one?”

Tifa shook her head. “No, I’m fine. But thanks.”

Rufus took another bite. “Maybe you should have mimicked my idea of gifts and bought chocolate biscuits instead of hounding yourself looking for unique presents.”

Tifa smiled and shrugged. “It’s not hounding me. I don’t mind.”

“Even when you just came from work and in need of rest and a nice meal? It would have saved you time.”

She stared at the burger in her hands in thought and hummed. “I want my family and friends to receive presents and know that I actually thought of them. I know that’s more worthy of all the effort I’m putting in each gift I got for them.”

“Hmph. I hope they would do the same with you.”

She lifted her eyes to his. “Does that matter?”  
  
He cocked his head to a side, a gesture of undeniability. “If you are putting this much effort, then it starts to matter.”

Tifa shook her head. “It’s my fault that I did not do this earlier. So I think it’s only fair.”

Rufus dragged a sigh. “There’s no talking your way out of this, is there?”

“There’s really no need to,” Tifa replied. “Anyway, the real question is why are you suddenly nice to me again?”

He raised a curious brow. “Something wrong about being nice?”

“Quite the opposite, actually. But still strange.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you need something from me?”

He gazed back at her contemplatively. “Perhaps your time.”

“Huh?”

“I have failed to dedicate mine to you, which has caused us to fall apart. Please know that it was not my intention. And I would like a second chance.”

Tifa nodded once. “Maybe an explanation would help. Clear things up. Because for the longest time, I really thought you don’t like me.”

Rufus creased his brows and pulled his head back slightly. The bluntness of it had dropped something heavy onto the pit of his stomach with a flash of guilt. “To allow you to think that was not my intention either.”

“So,” she returned with a tone that had gone softer. “Why?”

Rufus sighed deeply and looked away, musing on the right words to say. The truth was a complexity he had chosen to tuck away and never to see the light of day. He could always go for a mediocre reason, but he did not like lying to her. She had always deserved the truth. He cast his eyes down on the table before he began to answer her. “I started to lose focus.”

He left a pause after, and she leaned forward in anticipation. “Focus as in… for work?”

Rufus arched his brows and lifted his eyes to her. “That and, well…” He chewed on his upper lip. “I suppose I didn’t know what to do when I began to feel more than I thought I should.”

Tifa blinked, her fingers began curling uneasily around her burger. “You weren’t supposed to feel anything?”

“No, it’s not that, I—” Rufus sighed and raked his fingers up his hair to ease the tingling panic that shot up to his head. “When Yuffie introduced us to each other, I had only expected friendship. Constant companionship, at the very least. I never expected for it to grow into something…”

He hesitated on his next words, and somehow Tifa knew why.

Rufus scoffed at himself. “Well, I became more cautious about my feelings so I deemed ‘ghosting’ you to be the only way to save me from…”

“Taking it further?”

Rufus’s lips curled upward for a moment. “Yes.”

Tifa sighed. “I don’t understand.”

“What?”

“What are you so afraid of?”

Rufus drank from his cup with a careful sip, mulling over his reply. It would be embarrassing coming from a grown man like him. To be afraid of feelings was more of a teenager’s game. When he was finished, he cleared his throat. “I was— well, I still am— worried that you might not feel the same.”

Tifa coughed a laugh and shook her head. “What made you think that?”

“We both know the answer to that.”

She frowned. “No, I’m afraid I don’t.”

He tilted his head, dubious. “You don’t?”

“No.” She laid her burger down on her tray then rested her hands on her lap, eyes intently fastened on him. “I have always thought you’re interesting, Rufus.”

Rufus sneered. “Interesting,” he repeated.

Tifa nodded. “And caring. A little arrogant, but can be easily overlooked by your compassion.”

“Me? Compassionate?”

Tifa nodded. “You are. I can see it in you, especially when you are among the few guys I know who never mistreated restaurant servers and left generous tips.”

“Of course. They work hard to earn a living.”

“Exactly. You’re also a good listener. And I would very much want to know more about you. You did not have to ask for my time, but I appreciate you asking me nicely.”

A smile crossed his face briefly, a new hope brewing in his chest. The right answer was that he was “not easy to like,” but he found it to be the most wonderful thing for her to see something different in him, a side he never saw. “Then let me make it up to you.”

Tifa’s brows rose. “Huh? For what?”

“For the time.”

“Rufus, you don’t have to.” She tipped her chin at the meal before them. “You already bought me dinner.”

Rufus shook his head, having none of it. “Let me buy you a present.”

* * *

Rufus led her to one of the department stores of the mall— the opulent one. As he had expected, it was not the most popular spot for the shoppers (it was the least economical place to buy presents in volumes) and was a quite suitable choice for him as they began the search for Tifa’s gift.

“You sure you want me to choose?” Tifa asked, undeniably clouded and extremely sheepish about the whole thing. 

Rufus offered an encouraging grin and nodded at the whole place. “Go to town.”

They started with the bags section, which Tifa said could have the safest choice of gift. She reached for a scaly maroon and black bag and admired it under her gaze until her eyes caught the price tag that prompted her to put it back down. She reached for another bag, a silky blue one which was too plain for his taste, just because it has a red tag on it. She pursed her lips at the price and placed it back on the shelf.

“Maybe not here,” she told Rufus.”

Rufus cocked an eyebrow. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Maybe the shoes section?”

It was a repeat of the scene with the bags. She would pick a pair she fancied, look at the price, then place it back, thanking the saleslady for her time. He almost thought she had finally chosen a style when she kindly asked if she could fit a pair her size, but it was sold out.

They moved on to jewelries next (upon his insistence), but the most that caught her eye, over the frosty stones and diamonds that glimmered in the whole store, was a simple necklace with a small pendant key. She still deemed it too much (under the pretense that she did not want it) despite the strong trace of her inkling towards it. 

Tifa suggested the makeup section next, which she seemed to have enjoyed and held more promises. When she asked for the price of a lipstick, Rufus could not help himself but finally jump in.

“Tifa, stop doing that.”

“What?”

“Asking how much things are,” he scolded. “Just get what you want. Is that what you want?”

“I— yeah. Maybe. But, I—” She sighed. “I’m sorry for taking too much of your time.”

Rufus shook his head. “Quite the contrary.” He truly did not mind. He was rather enjoying being at her company and was happy to have been given this much amount of time with her. That was not the issue, not at all. “It is just a little hard for me to watch you so be so conscious of the prices of something you want. I simply wish to give you a present that you actually want.”

“I don’t want you to spend too much on me.”

“Nothing I can give you is too much,” he replied.

Her eyes rounded at his statement and he realized how much his honesty had hit her. It made him slightly unnerved because he may have overwhelmed her with something unexpected, something fickle. Maybe it was for the better, a more genial side of him hinted, that he had in fact chosen his words instead of blurting out the heavier truth— that she actually deserved more than he could ever give her.

She looked away when a flash of pink glided across her cheeks and gingerly placed the lipstick back on its rack. “Uhm, maybe we can try the perfumes.”

Rufus nodded. “As you wish.”

The perfumes section was not hard to find. All they really had to do was follow the mixed scents of musk, nectarous flowers, and tangy fruits until the whiff grew stronger. Tifa spent a short time there until she told him how dizzy she was getting.

“You okay?” he asked gently.

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just these perfumes. They smell too strong.”

“Okay.” He held her lightly by her back and guided her away from the section and to an area of cushioned chairs. “Let’s sit for a bit.”

When they settled on their seats, Tifa’s eyes began to close and her head hanging limply on a side. A few minutes later, she reclined herself on his shoulder and had fallen asleep.

Even when the announcer began reciting the routine “Good evening, dear customers! We will be closing in fifteen minutes,” she did not wake up. Not that it was a problem. All it took was one look from him for everyone in the place to know they would be working overtime for that day for as long as he and Tifa were still in there. Despite that, he knew that they were bound to leave soon, and he refused to let her go home empty-handed.

His attention was diverted to her tiny purse when her phone began ringing. He heaved in annoyance at the insistent sound, spurning the idea of letting something so stupid wake her. He carefully took her purse and the ringing stopped the moment he opened it. Good. Very good. But something else tugged at his curiosity.

His eyes landed on her wallet. It was small, and skinny— too skinny. There were also bundles of receipts, possibly from the gifts she bought earlier that day. He slid his eyes toward her, mindful that she might have caught him peeking through her things, before opening her wallet. He pursed his lips when he found a 100 gil and a few coins. He wondered if it was even enough for her commute home.

Rufus placed everything back to where it was, including her purse onto her lap, raised a hand and snapped his fingers. In a flash, a shopping attendant was already on his side, waiting for his order.

Rufus reached into the pockets of his beige coat and handed the attendant his credit card. “Make sure to get everything she touched.”

“Everything, Sir? Even the sale items?”

“Dear Gaia, not those abominations,” he said. “Choose the best ones in their stead. Make them good. And make sure to get that necklace.”

“Of course, Sir. Would you also like to get its matching earrings?”

“Yes. Those too. Now go.”

Twenty minutes later, the attendants were crowding around them, placing six large paper bags on her side. The attendant from earlier approached and handed back Rufus’ credit card.

“Did you include the maroon purse?”

The attendant blinked and leaned his head forward. “Sir?”

The bag attendant butted in. “Oh, I know that one, Sir. I’ll go get it.”

Rufus nodded at the first attendant who rushed back to the cashier with his credit card. Shortly after, the bag attendant arrived with the scaly maroon bag Tifa picked from earlier. He took it, gently landed it on her lap, and thanked the attendants.

The lights around them started to dim, possibly in preparation for their activity with inventory duties. The store was careful to leave ample light on Rufus’ and Tifa’s area as she remained asleep against him, the soft music of Christmas carol playing through the speakers making the whole thing all the more wistful. Rufus smiled, his chest finally full, understanding now why presents were so important at this time of the year. The hours they spent looking for something she liked, the effort of roaming around the store for her present, merited all the memories of the days they spent together. He buried his nose through her hair and planted a light kiss on the top of her head, taking in the sweet earthy scent of her shampoo and committing it safely into his mind. Christmas would not be the same no matter what happens onward.

And then Tifa finally opened her eyes. She shot up on her seat at the sight of the bags and the scaly purse from earlier. She eyed Rufus, her mouth falling open.

Before she could say something in protest, he said “In exchange for your thoughts. And perhaps a more proper dinner with me?”


End file.
